March 23, 2011
NETC Wins Marketing Awards for Successful Campaign

Northeastern Technical College has received a Paragon Award from the National Council of Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) for its “Be College Prepared” campaign.
 
NETC’s campaign won a Bronze Paragon Award in the Successful Recruitment Marketing category at the association’s national conference in Philadelphia.  NETC also received for this campaign a Bronze Medallion at NCMPR’s District Two Conference in Miami.
 
The College’s campaign includes a variety of marketing pieces including a poster for high school guidance offices, a digital music card and student survey, a dual enrollment brochure, a website, billboards in Chesterfield, Marlboro and Dillon counties featuring local students, and high school football media guides. Each piece carried the “Be College Prepared” message intended to encourage high school juniors and seniors to prepare for college by being in college at NETC as dual enrollment students.

The goal of the campaign was to increase the number of high school juniors and seniors enrolling in the dual enrollment program at NETC during the 2010 fall semester. This number increased 83 percent while the number of dual enrollment courses taken increased 101 percent and the number of high schools participating in dual enrollment opportunities at NETC increased 38 percent.
 
“Dually enrolled high school students who take NETC courses learn study skills, time management, and gain self-confidence – important skills they will need to succeed in completing a college degree,” said Valerie Gargiulo, dual enrollment coordinator. “Students tell us they have been better prepared for the rigors of college by being in college through NETC’s dual enrollment program, and this campaign supports that message.”
 
The only national competition of its kind, the NCMPR Paragon Awards recognize outstanding achievement in marketing communications at community and technical colleges across the nation. More than 80 marketing and PR professionals from around the country reviewed and scored this year’s Paragon entries.

Northeastern Technical College also recently released a series of short videos that support the Be College Prepared campaign, but also include clips on how the college can help citizens in Chesterfield, Marlboro and Dillon counties be cost prepared for college, be college educated, be part of a learning community and be on their pathway to a future.  To view the clips, visit the College’s YouTube site at http://www.youtube.com/netcTV.